


Emperor's Cross

by angerykacchan, RaijinFenrir



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, F/F, Hogwarts AU, More Tags In The Future Definitely, Slow Burn, Sothis is a cute eagle owl, Very Slow Burn That Spans In Years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 09:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21134303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angerykacchan/pseuds/angerykacchan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaijinFenrir/pseuds/RaijinFenrir
Summary: The Hresvelgs had always been known to be a family full of witches and wizards that always strayed away from a righteous path. Edelgard von Hresvelg was a young witch determined not to end up like one of them and her journey starts the moment she received her acceptance letter from Hogwarts.





	Emperor's Cross

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! So first of all this is an AU that me and angerykacchan have been talking about! Like, what if they attended Hogwarts instead of Garreg Mach instead and this is the result! It's mainly Edeleth but there are other relationships that would be shown so the tags are going to update as time goes on! Fair warning this will be exceptionally slow, like we're talking actual years within the fic's universe because we're going to see our little Edelgard grow.
> 
> If you haven't seen kacchan's amazing works! Check out this [ link](https://twitter.com/angerykacchan/status/1186653205817507845) to their art!
> 
> Also y'all can imagine Jeralt narrating the chapter titles

**Act I: Winds of Winter**

**White Lion**

King’s Cross Station, it’s one of the busiest railway stations within London. Every single day, hundreds or maybe even thousands of citizens go in and out of the station as part of their daily lives. However, every 1st of September, right before eleven in the morning there would always be an influx of peculiar passengers. Their trolleys bore enormous trunks along with caged pets, such as owls and cats. What’s even stranger than that was the fact that not a single one of them boarded the usual trains.

No, those peculiar passengers always searched for a platform that never existed. Platform Nine and Three Quarters, a mysterious platform that’s only accessible during particular days. Most citizens easily brushed off their questions about the platform’s whereabouts thinking it was but a clever joke. And oh, how wrong they were.

Today was September 1st, the day when young witches and wizards flooded the jam-packed railway station in order to access Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Muggles occasionally turned their heads at the sight of youngsters pushing their overloaded trolleys as they excitedly search for a platform that didn’t exist, or it was more apt to say that it was a platform that couldn’t be seen.

Edelgard watched in awe as she arrived within the crowded station. This was the very first time that she ever arrived in King’s Cross let alone had seen a train in person. Despite being the daughter of a famous pure-blooded wizarding family, she was never brought by her parents whenever they saw her older siblings off for the new school year. Edelgard spent most of her days locked inside the Hresvelg Manor with her only companions being the stuffed toys given to her by Dimitri and her appointed guardian, Hubert.

“Edelgard. Stop gawking at every new thing you see if you keep this up you won’t make it to the train.” Her mother called. Her face perpetually filled with disappointment whenever she looks upon her child. It was no secret that Cornelia Armin von Hreslveg disliked her daughter; even Edelgard was well aware of her mother's disdain for her. No matter how hard she tried to please her, nothing ever worked.

Edelgard felt her body stiffen at her mother’s voice. Quickly the girl turned on her heels and wheeled her trolley towards where she was, a spot between the barriers of platform nine and ten. There, dozens of similar individuals gathered in order to enter through the secret passage that led to the infamous Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Edelgard watched as a young orange-haired boy close to her age excitedly wheeled his trolley through the barrier and disappeared from sight instead of colliding against the solid brick wall. 

“Ugh, an Aegir how that family still remains is beyond me.” Cornelia could only roll her eyes at the boy. She sent a stern look towards Edelgard’s direction and the young girl immediately shifted her attention towards her mother, the slightest tinge of fear evident in her lilac eyes. Cornelia sardonically smiled evidently pleased that her daughter knew her place. 

“I expect you not to ever acquaint yourself with him, understand? It goes without saying as well I will not tolerate you being surpassed by an Aegir in any way.”

“Yes, mother…” Edelgard pursed her lips. She had heard of the Aegirs before, another pure-blooded wizarding family though one greatly disliked by her family. Despite that, she found no reason not to acquaint herself with the boy. After all, they could possibly be in the same year level or maybe even find themselves in the same house. She wasn’t like her family, she didn’t harbor them any ill will but it was hard to disagree with her mother lest she wanted to be jinxed right before she boarded her train towards ‘_freedom _’.

“Good, it seems you actually know how to listen. Now come, we only have a few minutes to spare before your train leaves.” Cornelia walked through the barrier followed by her young daughter who tried to push her overloaded trolley as best as she could.

When Edelgard passed through the barrier she couldn’t help but let out a gasp much to her mother’s dismay. There it was, Platform Nine and Three Quarters in the flesh and right beyond the platform was the gleaming red steam train called the Hogwart’s Express. It was certainly larger than Edelgard had imagined, then again the train had to be big enough to transport at the very least six hundred students to and from one of the most prestigious Wizarding schools across the world. Edelgard’s eyes darted along the platform, hopefully searching for either Dimitri or Hubert among the crowd.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to search for long. Right on cue, Hubert appeared right next to Edelgard and decided to commandeer her trolley much to her annoyance.

“Hubert, I can push the trolley by myself.” Edelgard pouted to which Hubert merely answered with a chuckle. Despite only having a one-year age gap, the raven-haired boy was her designated guardian.

“Hardly appropriate for me to let you wheel it by yourself. I’m sure Lady Cornelia would agree.” Not that she actually would. Hubert bowed his head at her presence, as a member of one of the Hresvelg’s branch families it was only appropriate for Hubert to show a certain degree of respect towards them.

“Do as you wish, Hubert.” Cornelia simply wanted this engagement to be over and done with. Ionius should have been the one to see his daughter off but he had business with Arundel. Cornelia looked stared back at her child, oh such a frail looking girl. She never did have any high hopes for her. 

“Edelgard, I’m sure you’re aware but do not make an embarrassment of yourself in school. You are a Hresvelg, act like one or else I assure you we will have all the time in the world during the summer in order to let your remember.” To others it may have seemed like such a simple reminder but for Edelgard she was well-aware of a threat when she hears of one. Still, Edelgard continued to politely smile at her mother.

“Yes, I’m very aware of my duties as a Hresvelg.” She was _ painfully _ aware of it as her hand subconsciously tried to reach for something on her back. A mark that would forever remind her of her duty towards the Hresvelg line.

“I won’t disappoint you.” 

She had no intention of being the disappointment that they all believed her to be. Even if she was still young, she was no fool. She often overheard the adults whisper about her and the jeers that accompanied it at times. That little Hresvelg girl that never seemed to fit in within her family, not that she ever aimed to correct that but she honestly wanted to show them that she wasn’t who they say she is. She wasn’t a disappointment, she wasn’t a third-rate witch, and she certainly wasn’t going to follow in their footsteps.

“Good.” That was all Cornelia could ever tell her. ‘Good’, that was the equivalent of ‘great’ or ‘amazing’ when it came to Edelgard. “Hubert, make sure you watch over her. I’m sure the two of you can find common time knowing she’d end up in Slytherin like you.”

“I shall do my best…” Hubert glanced towards Edelgard’s small frame. He easily saw the frustration hidden beneath her smiling facade and the way she clenched her fist as she answered her mother. How amusing that such a tiny creature could be capable of housing so many emotions. “Lady Edelgard, let us depart I’ve already secured a compartment for us.”

“Farewell mother, thank you for gracing me with your time.” A part of herself was indeed thankful that her mother at least gave her a bit of her time. Though a part of her also knew that if given the chance, her mother would never have accompanied her. A sad smile graced the young girl’s face as she followed Hubert into the train.

When they departed, Edelgard never even considered to look at the window. She knew her mother wouldn’t be there to stay and see her off. She knew there was no use in dwelling over such things but sometimes Edelgard wished that her mother would learn to love her one of these days, even once would be enough.

* * *

It’s an 8 to 9 hour ride from King’s Cross to Hogsmeade Station. This was also by far the longest journey that Edelgard had the pleasure of experiencing. Visiting the Blaiddyd household used to be the record holder for that and the journey usually took only two hours of her life. Edelgard felt restless as she looked upon the scenery that graced their compartment’s window, her feet dangling from the seat.

“Hubert, are we there yet?” Edelgard asked for what would be the tenth time that she did.

“No, Lady Edelgard if we were already there the train would have stopped.” Hubert calmly stated as he flipped another page from the book he was reading.

Edelgard half expected for their compartment to at least housed one or two more Slytherin members given that Hubert was one but it seemed her guardian never had much of an interest in creating bonds between fellow wizards and witches. Edelgard gazed across her seat towards Hubert, she wondered if Hubert actually had friends and ditched them just because it was her first year at Hogwarts. Then again, this was the same Hubert who scared off every young wizard that tried to approach him during family gatherings. Still, Edelgard would like to dream of Hubert actually having friends besides her. She didn’t count, she was someone Hubert was tasked to keep an eye on; their relationship was different.

Her eyes then trained towards the door of their compartment as if she waited for someone to appear. Hubert seemed to have noticed and looked as well.

“If you are expecting Dimitri then prepare yourself to be disappointed. I saw him in another compartment with his other friends. I doubt he would leave them and spend the rest of the journey here.” 

Hubert quickly passed their compartment when he had been trying to find a suitable one for him and Edelgard. Oh, he remembered how noisy one of their companions were and how they would wink at every girl that chanced upon them. Just a child and yet they were already such a skirt chaser, a pity that Dimitri surrounded himself with such fools but Hubert never really expected much from the naive boy.

“You always think so lowly of Dimitri. I’m sure he’ll drop by… eventually.” Edelgard understood that Dimitri had other friends. She didn’t mind if Dimitri couldn’t stay for the whole duration of the ride. She just wanted to see him seeing as how their last meeting proved to have been an unpleasant one.

Oh no, it’s not like they fought. It was more of the two of them being caught against the tension between their respective parents. Edelgard clearly remembered the events that had transpired on that day. She was at Diagon Alley buying her school supplies like every young witch and wizard that would soon be entering Hogwarts. Of course so was Dimitri and as luck would have it they met right outside Olivanders. Edelgard had just gotten her wand and Dimitri was on the way to retrieve his.

She flashed a small smile towards him and Dimitri responded with a hearty wave. Oh, he was more excited than she was at the prospect of them possibly being together in one house. Of course, Edelgard had noticed the frown on her mother’s face when Dimitri boldly exclaimed of such a thing. Her mother disliked the Blaiddyds and what’s worse was the fact that the feeling was mutual. Dimiri’s father, Lambert Blaiddyd or as Edelgard fondly called him Uncle Bert, disliked her mother up to the point that the two of them would often stare down at each other whenever they met.

The same thing had happened during that encounter. While she and Dimitri chatted away beside the store their parents glared at each other with such animosity that Edelgard wished she could just hide behind Dimitri but that wouldn’t do seeing as how both of them were of similar height. At least for now they were of similar height; Edelgard hoped she’d be able to outgrow Dimitri one day. But enough of heights, Edelgard remembered how their idle chatter had been disrupted when Lambert had lost his temper at Cornelia. She had never seen her mother so agitated over someone as she did on that day, so much so that she quickly pulled her away from Dimitri and practically dragged her across the streets of Diagon Alley.

She remembered how everyone gave them odd looks. Normally, her mother cared about such trivialities but she had been so irritated over the incident that she didn’t bother to put on the usual motherly act she had. Edelgard had thought that day would end up disastrously for her, that was until she had seen something beautiful. Edelgard never really got around much; she was often locked within the manor and the books within their not so humble abode were far too lacking in her field of interests. So color her mesmerized when she chanced upon the prettiest eagle-owl that she had ever seen. What completely caught her attention were the green streaks on its feathers. She had never seen an owl with green streaks before.

_ “Pretty...” _

Those were the words that had left her lips when she saw it. Edelgard was just awestruck at the sight of the owl. Enough for the owl itself to have noticed her. It was strange, as if it understood her compliment and was very proud of itself and excitedly flapped its wings at her remark. Edelgard giggled at such a display, it seemed to be fond of showing off and it had every right to be. Although, she partially felt bad for its owner whose hair eventually became a mess due to the owl’s sudden bout of flaunting. She didn’t get to see who it was, before she could even ask them if she could pet their owl her mother had already pulled her away.

Edelgard lets out a heavy sigh as she remembered everything. Maybe Hubert was right, she shouldn’t expect Dimitri to appear especially after that encounter.

“I suggest for you to forget about him.” It was a tall order but Hubert had never been known for his tact. “Your mother is at odds with his father, in the long run it shall cause you nothing but suffering Lady Edelgard.”

“Hubert, this is why you have no friends.” Edelgard frowned at her guardian to which Hubert answered with another dark chuckle.

“Friends are distractions, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert answered as his attention went back to the book he was reading.

“I concur! Friends are a distraction but a terribly good one mind you.” A flash of gold entered Edelgard’s periphery and in an instant she beamed at the sight of Dimitri. He swiftly entered their compartment and sat right next to Edelgard. “I apologize for the wait, El. It was a bit hard for me to excuse myself from my friends. I would have introduced you to them but unfortunately I left while they were busy arguing about chocolate frog cards.”

Oh, his foolhardy friends easily caused trouble wherever they went. Dimitri normally didn’t mind their behavior but sometimes he does wish for them to behave.

“Here, for you. I bought extra chocolate frogs thought you might like them. Who knows, maybe you’d find someone interested with the cards and have a new friend.” Dimitri handed over the sweets to Edelgard, her face slowly lit up with excitement. It wasn’t exactly the first time she had received chocolate frogs but rarely did she get to keep the cards. Her siblings would often take it away from her stating they needed it even though Edelgard knew they had five copies of that very card already.

Hubert shook his head in disappointment as he watched Edelgard open a pack. Why must Dimitri always spoil her, Hubert couldn’t quite understand.

“I see that look on your face, Hubert. It’s only a few packs.” Dimitri defended himself, conscious of the glare Hubert had given him.

“A few packs today, a whole box tomorrow. If Lady Edelgard suddenly has cavities I will make sure to return the favor to you.” Whether or not it was a joke only Hubert would know. Dimitri nervously laughed but he’d be cautious from now on. Still, both of them agreed with one thing. Edelgard with a smile on her face was always worth seeing.

Edelgard paid no mind to their banters, they’ve been like this ever since her first playdate with Dimitri. Edelgard and Dimitri were four, Hubert was five or maybe even six and from the very start Dimitri had always garnered her guardian’s attention with her being their frequent topic to debate on. While she greatly appreciated their concern for her somehow both of them felt like overbearing brothers to her more so than her own siblings.

Edelgard opened one chocolate frog packet, careful not to let the chocolate frog slip away from her. It was certainly awkward eating something that actually moves but as long as she doesn’t focus on that then everything would be fine. While chocolate frogs weren’t exactly her favorite snack she certainly loved collecting the cards that came with it.

“Ah! I got a new card, look Dimitri, Hubert!” Edelgard excitedly showed the new card she had gotten without much regard for how silly she looked with a few smears of chocolate coating parts of her lips. Dimtri had to hold himself back from laughing and Hubert had been quick to hand over his handkerchief for Edelgard to use. 

“I got Godric Gryffindor, see see!!”

Edelgard showed off her new card to which Dimitri reacted with enthusiasm, the complete opposite of Hubert who had a very disconcerted frown on his face. 

“Congratulations El! A shame that is your first card I would have wanted to trade it for one of my own. Godric Gryffindor’s the only card I’m missing from the four founders of Hogwarts. Speaking of Hogwarts, which house would you want to be in?” Dimitri had a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. He never got to ask Edelgard about it since they were forced to be apart from each other after their parents met at Diagon Alley a few weeks ago.

“Oh… I…” Edelgard nervously shuffled in her seat. She contemplated as to whether or not she wanted to voice out her preference. It’s not that she didn’t trust Hubert it was just hard to be honest given the frown on his face after her excitement from earlier. Not to mention the house Hubert belonged to was the one house she didn’t want to be in.

But Dimitri looked so excited and she didn’t want to ruin the fun by hiding anything from him. As she was about to speak someone else had wandered near their compartment. A boy, a first year by the look of his robes. His hair was tied in a messy bun and the glare he had was certainly one that made Edelgard nervous. She was just thankful that it wasn’t exactly directed at her and more towards Dimitri.

“There you are. You suddenly disappeared and made Ingrid worry.” Felix groaned in frustration right after. “How long are you going to play hide-and-seek?”

“Come now Felix, I’ve only been gone for a few minutes.” Dimitri apologetically smiled and turned to Edelgard. “Ah, let me introduce you to each other. El, this is Felix one of my most trusted friends. Just between you and me he definitely wants to be in Gryffindor.”

“If you’re saying that out loud then that’s not exactly between you and her anymore.” Felix gave Edelgard one brief look. Edelgard did her best to put on a brave face. She wasn’t going to let Felix intimidate her.

“As for me, being in Gryffindor like my father would be an honor, although he did say that I look good in blue.” Dimitri laughed and Felix could only grimace at what he hinted at. Dimitri? In Ravenclaw?

“If a one-track idiot like you gets into Ravenclaw then the bar must have been set pretty low.” Felix replied in jest. His words were harsh but Dimitri simply laughed in response. Felix never had the best sense of humor and it would stay like that perhaps for the rest of their lives.

“Why oh why do most of you desire to be in a house such as Gryffindor?” Hubert shook his head in disappointment. “Gryffindors lack sense of survival. Those idiots are always the first ones who make a beeline to show off and do reckless things. They are terrible influences it’s best if you put your hopes on another house.”

“Hubert!” Edelgard glowered at her guardian. “My cousin’s good friends with a Gryffindor. You remember her right? Blonde hair? Has a… temper but she’s very level-headed most of the time and keeps my cousin out of trouble.”

“Yes and might I remind you that she was also the reason why your cousin ends up in that sort of trouble.” Hubert countered to which Edelgard couldn’t exactly object. The last time they were together, she had heard that they got into trouble sneaking a swan into Hogwarts among many other things.

“While I cannot deny that Gryffindors are a magnet for trouble, case and point my own father. They are very great sources of inspiration.” Dimitri replied in kind.

“What is this? Some kind of debate on what the best house is?” Felix did not want to be a part of this if at all.

“No, of course not we were talking about which house we wanted to be in. Speaking of which, El you haven’t exactly answered the question. Which house do you wish to be in?” Dimitri looked at her expectantly for an answer and Edelgard found it hard to keep her desired house a secret from him. She could only hope that Felix didn’t recognize her yet as a Hresvelg or else she’d be the subject of ridicule and that was the last thing she wished to experience.

“I haven’t exactly thought about it as much…” Edelgard stated as she tried to figure out how to admit that she wanted to be in Gryffindor. “But there is one house that I’m very interested in.” 

More than interested really. Edelgard was about to answer when another boy had appeared in front of their compartment. Now she felt just a tad bit nervous, no scratch that she was indeed very nervous. Edelgard wasn’t used to interacting with so many people all at the same time.

"So this is where you two sneaks went.” The red-haired boy laughed and draped his arm around Felix’ shoulder. “You guys should have told me that you were visiting a pretty girl.”

Both Edelgard and Hubert sighed at the remark. Funny how the two of them were suddenly in sync when it came to this newcomer. The look on Hubert’s face already says it all for Edelgard; this was someone that he certainly didn’t approve of her to ever be in the vicinity of.

“The name’s Sylvain by the way just say the word and I’ll come rushing to this fair maiden’s aid.” Sylvain winked at Edelgard and there was another collective sigh from everyone in the vicinity. “May I have the privilege of knowing your name?”

“Edelgard.” She curtly replied trying to stem the nervousness that she felt. She hoped Sylvain wouldn’t recognize her but it seems this one was rather well-informed judging by the way his eyes widened at her answer.

“Edelgard? THE Edelgard von Hresvelg?” Sylvain asked much to Edelgard’s dismay.

“Yes. That same Edelgard…” While she wasn’t exactly the most popular of the Hresvelg siblings, the wizarding world was still oddly familiar of her lineage despite always being kept within the manor for most of her life. Then again, whenever influential families were invited by the Hresvelgs she was still introduced by her father to them much to her mother’s disappointment.

“Is there a problem?” Of course there was. There was always a problem with a Hresvelg.

Edelgard saw the sudden shift towards a grimmer expression on Felix’ face and Sylvain’s smile suddenly seemed to be a tad bit forced now. Edelgard bit her lip in frustration. Even though she was used to seeing those kinds of reactions that didn’t mean she took kindly to it. Was it too much for her to hope that things would be a bit different in Hogwarts?

“N-no! None at all!” Sylvain nervously laughed. His eyes darted towards the side as if looking for a chance to escape. “Such a shame, we could have been in the same house but I’m definitely not Slytherin-material. All those dark arts and what not ain’t popular with the ladies, I’ll definitely pass on that.”

“Are you sure about that? Between the three of us you’re most likely to end up in Slytherin.” Felix chuckled but Dimitri didn’t laugh at all.

They say there’s no witch or wizard that had gone bad that wasn’t affiliated with Slytherin. Of course that isn’t exactly proven but most known dark wizards and witches came from this particular house. Edelgard felt a lump in her throat when Sylvain had pointed out the obvious. Everyone expected her to be in Slytherin after all the Hresvelgs were purebloods and most if not all of their descendants had always been under that particular house.

Except Edelgard, she never wished to be in Slytherin. In the back of her mind she still clung to hope that she wouldn’t be sorted into Slytherin even if it would earn her the ire of her mother. If she must continuously plead to the Sorting Hat to do so then so be it.

“You can’t know that for sure.” Dimitri commented. “I can see El being in any house besides Slytherin.”

“The Hresvelgs had always been part of Slytherin house. It’s impossible for any of them to not end up in Slytherin.” Felix scoffed. “Just give up, you lost this argument Dimitri.”

Hubert remained quiet, his main focus was solely towards Edelgard’s behavior. If he sees but the slightest hint of a tear on Edelgard’s face he would make sure to quickly dismiss all of them maybe even forcefully so. But to his surprise the girl never bothered to shed a tear in fact Edelgard got off from her seat and faced Felix without even the slightest hint of fear. Bravery had always been a part of Edelgard’s nature; she may be the type to pick her battles but once she does put herself in one everyone would be well aware that she would be the last to run away.

“What?” Felix questioned her with a challenging tone. "If you have something to say then say it."

“If it’s impossible for me not to end up in Slytherin then I just have to turn the impossible to possible." This was a challenge that Edelgard was determined to conquer. "I’m a Hresvelg but I shall decide which path I wish to take.”

Not even a Sorting Hat would stop her. She would repeatedly ask the hat to put her in the other houses. She would be so stubborn that the hat would have little to no choice but to put her somewhere else. Felix was wide-eyed, surprised by her feisty nature.

"Prove me wrong then." There was a hint of amusement underlying the scowl he had on his face. Felix turned around and yanked Sylvain away. "Hey, Dimitri don't take long. You know how worried Ingrid gets when one of us disappear like that."

"Of course, I'll return in a bit." Dimitri replied as they watched the pair leave before he slightly bows his head in apology. “I’m sorry for those two. Trust me they have a good heart but…”

“But their social skills leave much to be desired.” Hubert finally closes his book and tents his fingers. “You certainly have interesting friends Dimitri. I do advise them not to bother Lady Edelgard nor influence her with their lack of tact.”

“Hubert, you don’t have to be so strict with me about the company I’d want to keep.” Edelgard shook her head. It’s not as if Sylvain and Felix would even want to associate with her judging by their reactions from earlier. “It’s fine Dimitri, maybe you should return to your friends. I wouldn’t want them to think any less of you because you’re spending too much time with me.”

“But El…”

“I appreciate that you took the time to visit me. But this is our first year in Hogwarts and we don’t exactly know which houses we’d end up in. If your friends would end up in a different house than yours then this might be the only time you’d have the chance to be with them.” Edelgard smiled at Dimitri before she returned back to her seat. “Hubert is with me Dimitri. I wouldn’t feel _ that _ lonely throughout the whole trip.”

Dimitri could only sigh in defeat. Edelgard was a very stubborn individual, once she sets her mind on something, it was rather hard to change it. Dimitri looked towards Hubert and curtly nodded at him. He doesn’t need to tell Hubert anything if there was one thing they both agree on it was regarding Edelgard’s wellbeing.

“As you wish then El but know that whichever house you end up in I’ll always be there to lend you a helping hand when you need it. I’ll go and check on Felix and Sylvain, I have a terrible feeling that they may have bumped into trouble.” Dimitri nervously smiled and headed out of the compartment and left Edelgard be.

Once Dimitri was out of earshot Edelgard lets out a sigh of relief as she slumped even more in her seat. Hubert had closed his book by then; his sole attention now towards Edelgard as her mood had significantly dimmed.

“Are you sure about this? Knowing your mother they would certainly not be pleased if you end up in another house.” Hubert asked.

“Of course I’m sure.” 

Edelgard clenched her fist and glanced towards the window. She knew about the consequences should she end up in a house other than Slytherin but Edelgard was ready to face it once summer comes around. She swore to herself that she’d be different from everyone else in their household, that she’d strive to be better. She’ll show all of them that being a Hresvelg did not define who she was. 

“I want to live a life that I had chosen for myself despite the circumstances.”

Such bold words for an eleven-year old girl though Hubert never doubted her resolve. Most would have laughed at that but not him. Hubert merely nodded in defeat if Edelgard would not be swayed then he must simply find a way to continue his duties as her guardian if she somehow ends up in a different house. 

Silence descended between them and Edelgard found it the most comforting thing in the world.

* * *

Edelgard never thought she’d actually be nervous. She had eight hours to prep herself but the moment that Hubert needed to separate from her was when her nerves started to get the better of her. All of the first years must enter Hogwarts via small boats that sail over the Black Lake and Edelgard couldn’t swim not to mention that she could barely see what even lurked beneath the lake. It was a good thing that Dimitri had been on board the same boat that she took; it made everything a bit bearable.

The one that led them was supposedly the groundskeeper for Hogwarts. He was a bright fellow with a huge smile on his face. His boisterous laughter could easily be heard by everyone else not to mention the somewhat _ horrible _ jokes and puns that he’d throw from time to time. Edelgard scarcely laughed at it though as did the rest of the first years but it did help to distract her from what was to come.

“Woah, so that’s the castle.” Sylvain lets out a whistle as they neared their destination. “It’s even bigger than our house.”

“Sylvain, did you actually think that your house could be somewhat bigger than that?” Ingrid looked at him in disbelief. 

Ingrid was briefly introduced to Edelgard by Dimitri before they took the boat and just like the others Ingrid had difficulty talking to her after she found out that she was a Hresvelg. A shame, Edelgard did wish to have a few more female friends but at the rate she was going it seems it might be remotely impossible for her to even have a friend other than Dimitri.

“What? It always looked so tiny in the pictures.”

Edelgard had read about Hogwarts before in one of the books her cousin lent her but seeing it in person solidified the fact that the books could never really give it any justice. It was bigger than she had imagined it to be. Almost everyone was in sheer awe of the castle itself. Edelgard herself felt a spike of excitement within her system as she looked upon the castle’s exterior. She honestly couldn’t wait to start the year. 

As soon as they disembarked, the groundskeeper led them all the way up the stairs until they were in the presence of a very intimidating woman at least that was Edelgard’s first impression of her. The woman in question had midnight blue hair and a glare that made all of the first years go silent. The only one that seemed unaffected by it was the groundskeeper who still kept a jolly smile on their face.

“You sure took your sweet time with them, Alois. I’ll take it from here Catherine was looking for you inside the Great Hall.”

“Well I did take them through the scenic route! In fact, I made sure that their first arrival would be a splash. Get it? Since we came through the lake and…” Alois’ voice seemed to trail off as the woman in question merely glared at him. Alois sighed and defeat and scratched the back of his head. “Oh fine, I’ll go see Catherine.”

Once he had left, the blunette once again gazed back at all of them. Edelgard felt a bit of discomfort from that. For some reason she felt as if the woman had been sizing them up, she hoped she wasn’t actually deciding on whether or not some would be immediately sent home already. It wasn’t exactly Shamir’s intention to scare the students but she couldn’t help it if most of the students found her to be intimidating. Welcoming them was supposed to be Catherine’s job but their resident Defense Against The Dark Arts professor needed to attend to other matters so here she was with barely an idea of what to do. Next time, Shamir was going to charge Catherine for all of these favors.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, now before you get to join your fellow students you’d have to be sorted first. There are four houses and each student belongs to one of four. There’s Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin.” Shamir internally sighed, maybe they should give the students pamphlets on the train so they wouldn’t have to do this introduction.

“While you’re here, your house is like your family. If you do something horribly stupid and break the rules expect there to be consequences for you and your house. Vice-versa also applies so do your best to behave maybe if you do well enough your house might win the House Cup by the end of the year.” Though they reminded students time and time again about the rules and its possible consequences, Hogwarts had never been short of troublemakers. In fact she could already spot a few of them within the crowd. 

"Any questions?” Shamir asked.

“Yeah! I have one!” Sylvain shot his hand up and everyone’s attention was focused on him. “Are you single?”

There was a collective groan from the populace as they all shook their heads in sync. While brave that was certainly embarrassing at least for Edelgard. Sylvain was only 11 what more if he grew older? Shamir grimaced as she heard the question, why were the youngsters always eager to know about her personal life.

“Even if I was I wouldn’t really bat an eye towards your direction.” Shamir curtly responded to which almost everyone had laugh at. Sylvain puts raised his hands up in surrender before he was smacked at the back of his head by Ingrid. Edelgard could only mirror the exasperation that Ingrid felt with a sigh of her own before her attention shifted back to Shamir. “If there’s nothing more, follow me and we’ll get you guys sorted.”

The first years eagerly followed Shamir through the Entrance Hallway until they reached the double doors that led to the Great Hall. Edelgard heard the collective gasps that came from her fellow first years as they passed in between the four long tables that were currently occupied by the current students of Hogwarts. She couldn’t blame them, the Great Hall could practically be considered one of the most wondrous places in Hogwarts. The candles that floated above the hall made it look far more enchanting and the ceiling itself was bewitched to look like the night sky. Even if it was indeed an illusion Edelgard found it very beautiful to look at as did most of the first years.

Edelgard’s eyes darted towards the long table that belonged to Slytherin where she had spotted Hubert who had been waiting for her to appear. She flashed him a small smile to which he simply responded with a nod before she looked back towards the long table that was situated at the top of the hall. It seems that table would be reserved for the current faculty and staff of Hogwars seeing as how the Headmaster could be seen from there. Shamir raised her hand and almost everyone knew that was the signal to stop as they shuffled inches away from a stool where the Sorting Hat was laid before them.

Shamir gestured for one of the faculty to take over for her and suddenly she heard whispers from her fellow students. It seems that they were talking about the professor that stood before them. She had short light brown hair and a very kind smile on her face as she looked at each and every one of them with fondness. Edelgard didn’t recognize her but some of the students behind her whispered about the woman once being a famous songstress.

“My we have such a lively batch for this year. Again, welcome to Hogwarts before we begin there are a few announcements especially for our dear first years.” Manuela fondly smiled at everyone and waited for the students to settle down before she continued. “I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is named as such for a reason. If you don’t want to get hurt it’s best that you stay away from it but if you happen to get hurt, feel free to visit me in the infirmary.”

One of the professors coughed at the remark and glared at Manuela but she didn’t seem to care at all. Edelgard had to admit welcoming the students to the infirmary as early as now was already an invitation for trouble. She could only hope that Dimitri doesn’t end up in the infirmary any time soon but knowing him and his natural attraction to trouble that would be such a tall order.

“Also, for the remainder of the school year some parts of the third floor would be inaccessible due to a… mishap and would need to be fixed, this includes the Charms classroom which shall be transferred to the second floor until further notice.” Manuela excitedly clasped her hands and brought out a scroll. “Now, let’s begin the Sorting Ceremony. Once your name is called please sit on the stool and I’ll put the Sorting Hat on you and when your house is determined you may join your fellow students in your respective long table.”

This was it the moment that everyone was waiting for, the Sorting Ceremony. Most of the older students talked among themselves regarding the event and were already wondering who would be joining them for the rest of their years in Hogwarts. Byleth was seated right next to her brother near the upper part of the table. They were the current Head Boy and Girl of Gryffindor which was evident from the special badge that they wore on their robes.

“So sis, who do you think is going to end up in our house this time?” Her brother asked as he slightly stood in order to get a better look with the new students. He had always been a curious chap and Byleth could only look at him with a hint of amusement due to his interest with this particular batch. “I’ve heard this batch has a lot of interesting kids from really old families like the Blaiddyds and Hresvelgs.”

“Is that why you’re interested?” Byleth asked her brother as she listened to the proceedings. Various names were called but none of them were from families that Byleth could remember. Then again, she rarely paid attention to a person’s lineage.

“Maybe, who knows! Maybe this would be an interesting year. Get a load of dad over there he looks so stiff and nervous. You think he’d loosen up since he’s head of Hufflepuff.”

“Really? I think he’s actually excited.” Byleth turned to look towards their father, the current head of Hufflepuff. 

Jeralt was a tall man with brown hair that was styled as a mullet or at least that’s what the Muggles called it when they had noticed their father during a trip to London. He had a frown on his face but Byleth had noticed the slight curve of his lips whenever someone had been called to join Hufflepuff. 

“He always seems so proud whenever a Hufflepuff appears.”

“I’m half surprised we haven’t been replaced seeing how fond he is of his Hufflepuff kids.” Her brother commented before he suddenly nudged Byleth’s ribs. “Hey, hey! I know that kid the one with orange hair, bet he’ll be a Gryffindor. You think he’d be a good replacement for my spot as our resident Quidditch commentator?”

Byleth just shook her head towards her twin brother’s antics. It was just the start of the year and he’s already thinking about Quidditch.

“Ferdinand von Aegir.” Manuela had called him up onto the stage. 

A boy with bright orange hair made his way through the crowd with his head held high as he took his first steps towards the Sorting Hat. Edelgard remembered him; he was the boy that she saw on the train platform. The Aegirs were a well known wizarding family and held a significant amount of influence within the Ministry of Magic. Edelgard watched as Ferdinand proudly strode to the Sorting Hat and sat on the stool with such poise and dignity that could possibly put to shame everyone else that had been sorted before him. Manuela took the Sorting Hat and placed it on the boy’s head. The sorting ended in a flash; the hat didn’t even remain for five seconds as it announced with such vigor that Ferdinand von Aegir belonged to Gryffindor. The raucous cheers from the Gryffindor table could be heard by everyone as Ferdinand made his way towards their table and Edelgard wondered if they would react the same way if she asked to be placed there.

“Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd.”

Dimitri was the next one to be called he gave Edelgard a bright smile before he bravely stepped forth. Edelgard had faith that Dimitri would end up in Gryffindor after all, the Blaiddyds had always been known for their chivalry and bravery. Dimitri nervously sat on the stool as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. Unlike earlier it took some time for the hat to figure out where Dimitri should be placed.

“Hmm...yes, I can sense your bravery young Blaiddyd but your deepest desires cannot be obtained in the house you wish for.” The Sorting Hat stated as it contemplated where to put Dimitri. Edelgard could sense that Dimitri was more nervous than usual and everyone waited with bated breath where the Sorting Hat would put him. “Yes, better for you to be in… Slytherin!!”

Edelgard’s heart had sunk at the announcement and she could clearly see the shock in Dimitri’s eyes. The gasp that she heard from Ingrid who was right beside her was telling enough. Edelgard looked over towards the long table that belonged to Slytherin. Even Hubert was a bit caught off guard by the announcement.

“They say most dark wizards come from Slytherin…” One of the students behind Edelgard whispered to their companion.

“Oh, he looked so sweet too. I wonder if it was all an act.”

By that time Edelgard had turned around to glare at everyone else silencing them. She can tolerate such things being directed towards her but to hear them speak ill of Dimitri was something she could never allow, at least not in her presence. Not all Slytherins were bad, she knew that by heart it just so happened that most of the known dark wizards that they knew had a relation with Slytherin. Dimitri gave Edelgard an apologetic look as he stepped away from the stool; he knew that Edelgard didn’t want to be in Slytherin and so his hopes of the two of them being in the same house had been crushed all in one go. Edelgard meekly raised her thumbs and gave Dimitri a smile; that had always been their way of expressing ‘_ good luck _ ’ and ‘ _ everything’s going to be fine _’ plus Edelgard could always tell Hubert to watch over Dimitri. Ironically, this very same incident had given Edelgard hope that perhaps it was possible for the Sorting Hat to sort her into somewhere other than Slytherin.

Several other names were called and the results weren’t what everyone had expected it to be. Some of the families that were called sounded familiar for Edelgard like the Edmunds, Gonerils, and Fraldarius. Edelgard watched as Felix took his place beside Dimitri in Syltherin’s table, ironic how he ended up being in Slytherin but Edelgard was thankful that at least Dimitri won’t be alone. Sylvain was right beside Ingrid, patting her head as if to comfort her that at least two of their friends were placed in Slytherin. It must be hard seeing your friends end up in a house that you didn’t desire. Edelgard had been so preoccupied with her thoughts about everyone’s current houses that she hadn’t realized that it was her turn to be sorted.

“Edelgard von Hresvelg.” Manuela called her and Sylvain had to pat her shoulder twice before she realized that she needed to step forward. Everyone’s eyes were on her, even those from the faculty contributing to the nervousness she felt.

“Why is everyone staring at her?” Byleth wondered as she noticed that many were interested with the student that was called.

“You really have no clue about wizarding families don’t ya?” Her brother shook his head and looked towards Byleth in disbelief. “The Hresvelgs are known to be a family associated with dark witches and wizards. Heck, one of them was even caught ages ago but I heard they got pardoned like the rest of the folks.”

“They say there’s never been a Hresvelg that wasn’t put in Slytherin.”

“I see…” Byleth watched as Edelgard slowly took a seat and the Sorting Hat had been placed upon her head. “Then it’d be a real surprise if she somehow ended up in Gryffindor.”

“What? A Hresvelg? In Gryffindor? Sis, I think you’ve had too many Bludgers sent towards your way.” Byleth couldn’t exactly deny that she had received way too many Bludgers during their Quidditch matches but even if she hadn’t it wouldn’t change what she thought. It would be a real surprise if someone who came from a family full of Slytherins was suddenly thrown towards a rival house. Byleth shrugged at her brother before their attention returned towards the ongoing Sorting ceremony.

Edelgard gripped the edges of the stool as the Sorting Hat contemplated on where to put her. Within her mind all she could think about was for it to let her be in any other house besides Slytherin. She wanted to disprove to everyone what they initially thought about her, that the Hresvelgs were nothing but bad news for the wizarding community.

“Interesting, you certainly have the ambition. The drive to prove yourself as well and yet you do not wish to be in Slytherin. A very peculiar Hresvelg indeed…” The Sorting Hat pondered as Edelgard continued to mutter under her breath for it not to put her in Slytherin. “You could be great in Slytherin.”

Edelgard mentally disagreed with the hat’s sentiments. Going to Slytherin would be the exact opposite of what she wanted. She couldn't deny that being in Slytherin had its own benefits but she was eager to prove to everyone else that she was different from the Hresvelgs that they knew of. She wasn’t going to be the dark witch or wizard they all expected her to be and the first step for that to happen was if she wasn’t sorted into Slytherin. Even if she’d feel isolated from most of her possible peers in Gryffindor she’d endure it for several years if it meant that she’d reach her goal.

“Still disagreeing I see… brave little lion indeed if that’s the case…” The hat dramatically paused before it announced the most shocking placement yet for this ceremony. “Gryffindor!!!”

It was as if time stopped for Edelgard when the Sorting Hat announced that she was in Gryffindor. She wasn’t entirely confident in the first place that the had would listen to her but the moment it uttered the words she wanted to hear pride swelled within her. She was a Gryffindor and most likely the first one that had ever been placed in it within the Hresvelg line.

“Told you, wouldn’t it be interesting if she ended up in Gryffindor.” Byleth had been the first one to eagerly clap for Edelgard. 

All of the Gryffindors on the long table were still a bit shocked by the announcement but starting from today Edelgard von Hresvelg would be under their care. She was part of the Gryffindor family whether the rest of them liked it or not. The rest had followed after Byleth and clapped for Edelgard as she shuffled towards Gryffindor’s long table. She took a seat right beside Ferdinand and the young man had been quick to chat her ears off about himself much to Edelgard’s shock not to say that she disliked it however that wasn’t what she expected to say the least. But in between the conversation she had caught Byleth looking towards her direction. Something about her seemed a bit familiar but she wasn’t so sure about it.

“Welcome to Gryffindor.” Byleth softly smiled at Edelgard before she turned her attention back towards the Sorting Ceremony. Edelgard was taken aback by the action, no one had ever smiled at her like that before except for Dimitri. 

“Edelgard, are you even listening to what I’m saying?” Ferdinand eagerly asked as he continued to chat her ears off.

“Yes, Ferdinand I’m listening…” As well as she could but from time to time Edelgard would glance over to the other side of the table and watched Byleth from the corner of her eye. Her eyes glanced at the badge that she wore and everything made sense for her. Byleth was the Head Girl for Gryffindor so it was only natural for her to be friendly with Edelgard. Even so, that small act of welcoming her into Gryffindor at least dissuaded some of her fears regarding her first year at Hogwarts.

* * *

The Sorting Ceremony had been a lively event. Most of Edelgard’s guesses about everyone’s houses were completely off. She expected Dimitri to be with her in Gryffindor but instead he had been sent to Slytherin along with Felix. Sylvain was surprisingly thrown to Hufflepuff rather than Slytherin even though he was a Gautier. Ingrid was left with her in Gryffindor, truth be told she expected the girl to be in Hufflepuff but then again almost everyone had thrown her expectations out of the window just as she did with theirs. Once the ceremony was over and everyone had indulged themselves with the start of the term feast it was time for them to be escorted towards their respective dormitories by the prefects.

The one that led the Gryffindor first years were the Eisner twins, the Head Boy and Head Girl of Gryffindor. Edelgard was at the front of the pack alongside Ferdinand who was still chatting all of their ears off about a pureblood’s etiquette among other boring things and Ingrid who had remained quiet, most likely due to being separated from her only friends. They followed the twins along with the rest of the first years as they navigated through the magical staircases and hallways of Hogwarts.

“Careful with the staircases, they move by themselves from time to time so it’s easy to get lost. Back when I was a first year I got lost and ended up wandering in circles for the whole day!”

Edelgard didn’t like the prospect of being lost inside a giant castle like this. Though it wouldn’t hurt for her to spend some time exploring it as well; who knows maybe she’d find a place where she could secretly stay in if she was hiding from Hubert. Edelgard carefully watched the staircases change direction and the paintings that greeted them while they were on their way to the dormitories. At the very least if her classmates started to avoid her due to her lineage she could always talk with the paintings found all over Hogwarts.

“By the way this here is my twin, Byleth! Head Girl and our Quidditch Team’s current Keeper and Captain. You first years better watch our games we always need all the support. Just between you and me my sister’s actually the shy type don’t let her cool demeanor fool you. She’s also all business so forgive her if she seems rather cold.”

Byleth looked back at her brother, confusion written all over her face. Just what in the world was he spouting this time?

“First years make sure that you remember the path we took. While it’s not the only way to reach the dormitories it’s the most direct route possible.” Byleth reminded them as she ignored her brother’s antics for a bit.

“See. Told you, ice cold sometimes. By the way I’m B----” Ah, but before they could all hear his name a huge eagle-owl swooped out of nowhere and graced them with its presence. It was clearly showing off as it circled around the first years who were completely taken by its beautiful feathers and the unusual green streaks it had on it.

“Grahhh!! Sothis! You ruined my introduction!” The younger brother called it out and the owl immediately went towards him and started to peck at his head. The entire batch of first years laughed at the sight as well as Edelgard.

Immediately she remembered where she had seen the owl. It was when she was in Diagon Alley with her mother. The owl before her was the beautiful eagle-owl that she had seen, Edelgard’s eyes darted towards the Eisner twins. No wonder Byleth seemed familiar to her, she must have been the owner and though she didn’t see her face at that time the color of her hair made an impression on her.

Byleth wasn’t exactly laughing but one could see the fondness she had for her brother with the small smile she had. Byleth called for the first years to gather and quickly raised her arm for Sothis to perch on after it was busy attacking her poor brother. 

“Everyone, this is Sothis. She’s our family’s owl and is one of the most reliable owls you’d ever meet. Now, if you’re in trouble and you see her don’t hesitate to ask Sothis for help. Trust us, she’ll make sure to help you in any way she can.”

Sothis the owl hooted in response, quite pleased with Byleth’s compliments about her. She was delighted over the enthusiasm the students had regarding her as she flapped her wings in order to show off her wingspan. Both of the Eisner twins could only shake their heads at their owl’s antics but they loved their owl all the same. Most of the first years took turns petting Sothis, even Edelgard had lined up for the chance. When it was her turn Sothis immediately hooted in delight as it remembered the girl and affectionately rubbed itself against her palm.

“Well Sothis seems to like you.” Byleth commented in fact Sothis seemed to like Edelgard far too much as it refused to move away from the girl and had decided to perch itself on top of the tiny child’s head.

“Sothis don’t ya think you’re too heavy for the kid--- Ow, Ow, Ow! Fine! Fine! Stay with her then!” Sothis once again pecked at Byleth’s brother and stubbornly perched itself on Edelgard’s head. Edelgard didn’t mind in fact it made her feel at ease as she giggled when Sothis’ flapped its wings as if to tell her that they can be off their merry way now. Byleth obliged and called upon the first years to start walking again, it wouldn’t be much farther from the dormitories.

Soon enough they stopped in front of a portrait named the Fat Lady. The Gryffindor Common Room was hidden in a path behind the portrait but like every house each one had a gimmick. The Fat Lady looked upon all of them and asked Byleth for the password. Edelgard could hear some of the first years mutter their grievances and worries of not remembering the password which was understandable considering some of the passwords she heard from her cousin were hard to remember. Sothis simply turned its head towards the other first years and silenced them with another hoot.

“Caput Draconis.” Byleth exclaimed and after a few seconds the portrait had swung open to reveal the path towards the common room. 

As they entered through the hole behind the portrait, the first thing that greeted them was the warmth of the fireplace. The Gryffindor Common Room was cozy, that was the best way to describe it. The stuffed armchairs felt comfortable to sit on, the warmth that emanated from the fireplace could easily stave off the cold nights from the Gryffindor Tower, and the whole room was decorated in crimson and gold. Some of the first years couldn’t help but try out the chairs and warm themselves by the fireplace, much to the twins’ amusement.

“Settle down little Gryffs, over this staircase is the boy’s dormitory for the girl’s it’s right at the opposite. All your belongings are already in your respective rooms so best if you get acquainted with your new roommates. For the boys don’t even try to step on the staircase leading to the girl’s dormitory. Trust me, I tried.”

Byleth silently nodded in agreement with her brother’s explanation. It would be futile for the boys to even try and sneak into the girl’s dormitory, his brother tried when they attempted to swap places once. It had been an amusing experience watching her brother slide down the stairs after it transformed into a stone slide.

“For the girls my room is located on the seventh floor of the girl’s dormitory. Feel free to disturb me if you need someone to talk with.” Byleth offered, her brother offered the same thing towards the boys after all they were the Head Boy and Girl for a reason. “If you feel a bit shy feel free to call upon Sothis instead, she’s a trustworthy owl and knows how to keep secrets.”

“Hoot! (Only because no one can understand me!)” Sothis simply hooted in response and finally flew away from Edelgard’s head and perched itself on Byleth’s head instead. “Don’t stay up too late, we have a curfew in effect as well if you get caught by other prefects it might lead to detention. So be careful.”

“Ah! But you know nothing happens if you don’t get caught. So if you’re breaking the rules remember not to get ca---!!” Sothis didn’t even let him finish as the owl quickly flew towards Byleth’s brother in order to peck him several times. “Fine, fine! Don’t break the rules!”

All the first years laughed and Edelgard couldn’t help but to join along. Maybe this year wouldn’t be so bad after all?

At least that’s what she initially thought.

* * *

Classes started right away and as expected most tried to avoid her. She couldn’t blame them; of course they’d be wary of a Hresvelg, it’s hard to get rid of old prejudices after all. The only ones that bothered to talk with her among her fellow first years in Gryffindor were Ingrid and Ferdinand, even then she couldn’t consider them to be her friends. The former only talked to her out of obligation considering they shared the same room within the dormitories while the latter rarely bothered to hold a normal conversation with her and instead constantly challenged Edelgard whenever she wasn’t preoccupied with studying.

Edelgard spent most of her days tailing either her cousin and her friend who was a few years her senior or joining Hubert and Dimitri whenever they were free. It wasn’t any different from her time in the manor; she had a bit more freedom within Hogwart’s walls but everything else still felt the same. Her classmates refused to talk with her unless necessary similar to her siblings and most of the upperclassmen were careful not to associate themselves with a Hresvelg. In the end Edelgard was alone just as she had always been. Maybe it was naive of her to think that things would change simply because she had been placed in the house she desired to be in but could they blame her? Your house was supposed to be your family and she believed that perhaps Gryffindor would be hers. Maybe not now, but she hopes she’ll be accepted by them in the years to come. For the time being she had to steel herself and bear with the jeers and the pranks thrown towards her way.

Today was one of those days where she had to ignore the stares she received as she walked along the corridors towards her next class. Hubert wasn't with her since he currently had class while Dimitri was usually with Felix before this period. Not that Edelgard minded, they both had their own lives and so did she, although she wouldn't have minded for Ferdinand to drop by right this very instant if only to distract her from the others. Alas, even Ferdinand couldn't always be there for her.

"Hoot!! (Tiny Edelgard spotted)" Sothis pecked at Byleth's head in order to grab the girl's attention. Byleth had been busy reading a book while walking when Sothis had disrupted her. At first she had been confused until Sothis flew away from her and headed towards Edelgard, completely surprising the young girl as Sothis perched itself on her head.

"Ah, Sothis come back." Byleth was going to have a word with her owl after this as she followed her towards Edelgard's side. Sothis had never been this clingy before towards others and Byleth was worried that her owl was being a bother to the first year. "Sorry about that, Sothis seems to like you too much."

"O-Oh that's alright… I like Sothis too." Edelgard truly did. She loved it when Sothis randomly appeared to her at times especially when she was alone. The owl was far better company than some of her classmates that was for sure.

Byleth was relieved to hear that. The last thing Byleth wanted was to make Edelgard uncomfortable with their presence, especially since they were the Head Girl of Gryffindor. Byleth glanced around them. As usual, a lot of students stared at Sothis but also towards the young Hresvelg who was happily indulging Sothis with a few pets. 

“Edelgard where are your friends?” It was strange, whenever they saw Edelgard she would either be alone or with the boy from the Blaiddyd family. They rarely saw Edelgard with the other Gryffindors and that had been alarming in a way for Byleth considering that the first quarter of their term was already about to end. While some really do prefer to be alone, Edelgard didn’t strike her as a loner. In fact the smile on her face right now reminded her of how the young Hresvelg looked whenever she had company.

“Ah, Hubert has class and Dimitri’s with his other friends.” The smile on Edelgard’s face had disappeared and Byleth somewhat regretted asking the question. It seems that Edelgard only had two friends and one wasn’t even in their first year. Byleth couldn’t fathom why they would avoid Edelgard, she seemed like a kind girl and Sothis had always been a good judge of character, that owl had always been picky on who it’ll befriend and Edelgard seemed to be its prime choice as of this school year.

“I see.” Byleth looked at Sothis, the owl had no intention of leaving Edelgard alone and she understood its sentiments very well. She didn’t want to leave Edelgard wandering alone either. “Would it be alright if we escort you to your next class? It seems Sothis wants to spend time with you.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened at the offer. She nervously glanced around thinking that it might be a prank some of the upperclassmen tried to pull on her but fortunately (or unfortunately) it seemed to be a genuine offer from their Head Girl. Edelgard meekly nodded in response to Byleth, careful not to drop Sothis who had already made itself comfortable on the top of her head. It wasn’t outright obvious but Edelgard was thankful for the sudden company as they continued to head towards her next class.

“So what’s your next class?” It’s been so long since her first year classes that Byleth couldn’t even remember her previous schedules anymore.

“Defence against The Dark Arts. I like it…” Edelgard shyly replied as she tried to quicken her pace. She didn’t want to take too much of Byleth and Sothis’ time aside from the fact that Catherine was incredibly scary when it came to latecomers.

“That’s my favorite subject too. Catherine’s incredible isn’t she?” Byleth loved that particular subject if she’d be a professor at Hogwarts she’d rather teach that than anything else. “A bit intimidating but her practical approach would really help in the long run. Although it was an absolute nightmare to deal with O.W.L exams during fifth year since she barely thought theoretical applications.”

Byleth still remembered that awful written portion of her O.W.L exam for Defence against The Dark Arts. If her father didn’t help them study for the exam she was sure that she couldn’t have gotten a good grade from that. Byleth looked over towards Edelgard who regarded her curiously. Oops, she had forgotten that the first years would have no idea about those kinds of exams yet.

“Sorry, I’m sure it must have been confusing to hear about those exams. No need to be scared of them it’s still your first year and the exams aren’t too hard.” Byleth tried to reassure the young witch.

“I’m...I’m not scared!” Just nervous, Edelgard thought. “Catherine’s really incredible plus the spells she teaches us are really useful. Today she told us that we’ll have the chance to practice spells against each other. I’m hoping I don’t mess up.”

She didn’t want to mess up, not for this one. If she accidentally hurts her partner then no doubt the others would avoid her even more. Then again this was a class where injuries were to be expected but still that wasn’t enough to dissuade her worries.

“I’m sure you won’t and even if you do it’ll be fine. We all make mistakes especially in that class, what’s important is that you remember what you did wrong and think of ways on how to avoid it next time.” Even Byleth herself had her fair share of problems with the subject. 

Edelgard wanted to believe Byleth’s words but it was hard to do so when every mistake she made before had cost her something in return. Still, she was grateful for her encouragement. Soon enough they were outside her class and it seemed that she had at least a few more minutes to spare before she had to go inside. Sothis flew back towards Byleth since she wasn’t allowed inside Catherine’s classes much to her owner’s relief it seems Byleth didn’t have to forcefully pry Sothis away from Edelgard.

“Thank you for accompanying me and I’m sorry if I took some of your time.” Edelgard gave Byleth a smile and slightly bowed her head.

“It’s nothing. Remember I told you before that I’d be willing to talk with any of you should you need someone. That offer would always be on the table even if I’m busy plus I should be the one apologizing to you for Sothis’ behavior. Thank you for tolerating her and letting me accompany you in the first place.” Byleth once again softly smiled at Edelgard before she gestured for the younger girl to enter her class. “Good luck, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Edelgard nodded and entered the classroom. Byleth waited for a few more minutes outside and peered through the doorway checking if Edelgard had at least someone to talk with inside. To her relief there was Ferdinand who quickly took the spot right next to Edelgard and had begun chatting with her.

“Hoot, Hoot! (Wow, you seem to have an interest in the young witch too!)” Sothis hooted to which Byleth merely replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Oh? Byleth. It’s rare for you to come see me! Miss me already?” Catherine appeared from the opposite end of the corridor with an amused look on her face. Of course, Byleth knew that their professor was teasing her as one of their many hobbies. “Kidding, kidding. Is there anything you wanted to consult with?”

“No, I just happened to drop off a first year. I don’t think I’ll ever miss you seeing as how we frequently see each other.” Byleth was the Head Girl of Gryffindor while Catherine was Gryffindor’s current Head of House. The two of them frequently met with each other since most of Byleth’s other responsibilities were given to her by Catherine.

“A first year? Did something happen?” Catherine asked to which Byleth responded with a shake of her head.

“No, nothing of the sort. I just found a lonely cub.” Byleth once again glanced towards Edelgard’s direction and Catherine followed her gaze finally getting the idea.

“Ah, Edelgard. You know, she’s a very diligent student and she seems to be a nice kid. Is she having trouble fitting in? I’d understand after all everyone thought she’d be in Slytherin. Oddball that one, must be why you feel inclined to be concerned about her. She reminds me of you when you were still just a kid.” Catherine pointed out.

“Reminds you of me? How so?” Byleth asked, now incredibly curious.

“Secret, now shoo! I have a class to teach.” Catherine laughed and shooed Byleth away before she entered her class. Byleth had absolutely no choice but to leave that conversation be maybe she’d bother Catherine later about it. With one last look she left the first years and headed back towards the courtyard to continue reading the novel she borrowed from the library.

The moment Catherine had entered all of the students instinctively went back to their seats and excitedly waited for their lesson. Catherine’s lessons mostly consisted of practical application thus most students always looked forward to it with Edelgard being one of them. They were even more excited for this one since Catherine had promised for them to have a hand in using the spells against one another.

“Seems all of you are as excited as I am to see you guys in action. Everyone pair up and wait here at the front while I do some redecorating to let us have more room.” Catherine announced and everyone had been quick to follow her instructions. As expected, Ferdinand was quick to ask Edelgard to be his partner to which she obliged with. She wanted to ask Dimitri but Felix was a bit faster than expected. With a few spells Catherine had rearranged some of their desks and chairs to widen the space they could use.

“Rules are simple, each pair would be given around two to three minutes to perform the spells we’ve covered for the past two months. Now, it’s fine for you guys to make mistakes but I want to see if you’ve actually been practicing the spells I’ve taught you. Think of this as a surprise practical exam.” Catherine said with a smile on her face but the smiles on the rest of the students faces faded away. Exams? Right now? Almost everyone had grimaced at the notion except for Felix and Ferdinand those two always relished a good challenge. “Remember, it’s fine for you to dodge a spell that’s part of defending if you still can’t use a shield charm.”

Catherine knew the spells she had taught her first years weren’t the easiest ones to master and certainly not meant to be taught to them just yet but they were the most practical spells used to combat the dark arts or to protect against them. They’d revisit all of these spells throughout the years so she figured she’d start them young and evaluate their performance before deciding what to teach them next. She had often been criticized for the difficulty of her lessons towards the lower year levels but Catherine believed in preparing them in case another Wizarding War should happen. Too many young wizards and witches had lost their lives just because they couldn’t defend themselves properly and Catherine strove not to let that happen to her students.

“Any volunteers for the first pair?” Catherine asked. Only Dimitri and Felix had raised their hands among the entire class. “Well seems like Slytherins are being very proactive with this. Since you’re the only ones that volunteered, 10 points to Slytherin now come down here and we can start.”

Dimitri and Felix wasted no time as they moved towards the center of the room and faced each other. Meanwhile, Catherine casts a shield charm to prevent other students from being hurt by stray spells that could possibly emanate from the two.

“What’s our score count Dimitri? I’m sure I was in the lead last time I counted.” Felix asked as he readied his wand.

“Strange, I was sure that I was ahead during our last bout.” Dimitri confidently disagreed with him as he readied his own wand.

“On the count of three you have three minutes to either disarm your opponent or knock them down. You can only use the spells I’ve taught you in class so keep that in mind.” Catherine reminded them seeing as how Dimitri and Felix were all too eager to start this test already. “One, two, three!”

“Flipendo!” Felix had been slightly faster than Dimitri as he casted his first spell. Blue light sprung from the tip of his wand and the spell quickly zoomed towards Dimitri’s direction. Dimitri quickly tried to protect himself using a shield charm and even though it wasn’t as effective it did help him resist the spell. Felix clicked his tongue he had wanted a quick victory from that but Dimitri only skidded a few paces away from him instead of being knocked away.

Catherine was a bit amazed at Dimitri, making a shield charm wasn’t easy and she half expected most of the first years to even be incapable of casting it. Even though the charm was imperfect it was the perfect start. Felix on the other hand had a very good grasp of using the spells they’ve learned offensively as he continued to throw quick and easy spells towards Dimitri’s direction, leaving him almost no room to breathe. Dimitri did his best to avoid Felix’ spells and even went as far as hiding behind a table in order to guard against one of his spells. While Felix was a fast caster his spells didn’t exactly have the power behind it just yet. That was to be expected, they were just in their first year after all. Catherine couldn’t wait to see how they’d do in the next years to come.

The _ match _ ended in a draw as both participants were unable to knock down or disarm their respective opponents. There were a lot of spells that had misfired or failed to cast but that was to be expected. Catherine’s expectations went a bit higher for the rest of the class as she congratulated the duo. Edelgard’s eyes had been glued the entire time to the match. Dimitri was certainly amazing but now she was certainly taken aback by how fast Felix could cast spells. She would have to do her best, she didn’t want to be left behind by them.

A few more matches went on and Edelgard had to admit that within their year there were really talented witches and wizards. One of the students from Ravenclaw cleverly used a knockback jinx towards one of the tables in order to push it against their partner and knock them over. While a bit unorthodox in a real scenario anything would go and his resourcefulness had been rewarded. Claude von Riegan was truly an interesting character and so were his two friends, a quiet and shy girl with light blue hair and another girl who was the complete opposite with outrageously pink hair. Sylvain was a surprisingly decent wizard too being capable of matching Ingrid’s spells that were far more powerful than Felix’ but certainly slower. Edelgard looked over her partner, Ferdinand didn’t seem nervous at all in fact he was certainly raring to go now and awaited for Catherine to call the two of them into the center.

“Ferdinand, Edelgard it’s your turn.” Catherine called the two of them and Ferdinand excitedly bounded towards the center as Edelgard followed him. Everyone’s attention was on them now, Edelgard could feel them staring holes at the both of them. Somehow she couldn’t help but admire Ferdinand’s confidence not even their classmates that made fun of his competitive nature could shake off his concentration.

“Give me your best shot, Edelgard! I swear I’ll triumph over you for today.” Ferdinand declared to which Edelgard could only shake her head at.

“Ferdinand, will you ever grow tired of this… competition?” Of course Edelgard knew that would never happen.

“Of course not! I have made it my goal to triumph over a brilliant wizard like you!”

Edelgard almost forgot to speak when she had heard Ferdinand call her brilliant. She didn’t even hear Catherine count to three and almost paid for it when Ferdinand threw a knockback jinx towards her direction. She had reacted the same way Dimitri had with a shield charm albeit hers was a bit more effective. Sometimes it paid to always be wary of potential jinxes being thrown at her by the other students. Without wasting another moment Edelgard casted a knockback jinx of her own, Ferdinand managed to get out of the way in time and to everyone’s surprise the spell itself was strong enough to even break the jar that it had managed to hit instead.

Edelgard didn’t mean to but for some reason her offensive spells seemed to be a tad bit more powerful than necessary. Maybe it was her wand, Ollivanders did tell her that dragon heartstring wands were usually a bit more volatile and tended to pack a punch. She made a mental note to certainly be wary of using more offensive spells outside of class.

“Not bad Edelgard, but how about this I’ve been practicing! Expelliarmus!” Ferdinand successfully threw a disarming charm to everyone’s surprise including Edelgard.

“Expelliarmus!” Edelgard threw a disarming charm of her own in order to intercept the spell. Streams of red light clashed against one another. Now it was only a battle of power as both casters tried to overpower their counterpart. In the end however Edelgard’s spell had won, not only knocking the wand away from Ferdinand’s hand but also himself as he crashed against one of the tables.

“Ferdinand!” Edelgard quickly rushed to Ferdinand’s side just to check if he was alright. This was exactly the type of accident that she didn’t want to happen, even though it was unavoidable in these kinds of classes. Ferdinand was conscious but it seems his landing had sprained his wrist. Catherine went over to check on them as well while she was satisfied with the results of their match this was certainly unprecedented.

“Seems you bested me again. Don’t worry the great Ferdinand von Aegir won’t be deterred by a sprain.” Ferdinand reassured her but he visibly winced when he tried to bend his hand.

“While I have to commend both of you for throwing successful disarming charms that was dangerous to intercept one for both parties at least in your skill levels. It could have backfired on both of you.” Catherine reminded them both before she helped Ferdinand up. “I’ll go take Ferdinand to Manuela, the rest of you stay put and don’t even attempt to throw a few spells while I’m gone. If I see any of you hexing one another detention would be the least of your worries.”

“Should I come with you?” Edelgard wanted to come so she could properly apologize to Ferdinand but Catherine simply shook her head.

“No need to come, both of you did well don’t you worry. Now everyone behave.” Catherine said before she helped Ferdinand out of the classroom. The young Aegir gave Edelgard a wide smile as to dissuade her fears that he would be mad at her. Edelgard watched them go but when they were out of earshot that’s when she heard everyone else’s comments about her.

“See, she’s trouble.” One of the other students stated. “I knew she was dangerous.”

“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t an accident. I bet she wanted Ferdinand to get hurt since he always bothers her.” Another student pointed out and it all went downhill from there as the comments escalated from there. Edelgard kept her head low as she kept herself near the back of the class. No one wanted to be near her, not after what had happened to Ferdinand. It was an accident but Edelgard knew that she should have just used a shield charm instead of trying to fight fire with fire to avoid such events.

Dimitri’s mood had darkened because of their excessive comments and he would have casted a spell or two if Felix and Sylvain hadn’t stopped him. Ingrid worriedly glanced from time to time towards Edelgard’s direction, as much as she wanted to ask if she was alright it was a bit harder to do so considering that most of their peers were certainly in a very judgmental mood for today. Only Claude had approached Edelgard, even going as far as draping an arm over her shoulder before he smiled at her. That boy never really did care about what others thought of him.

“Must be hard being a sort of celebrity huh? Who knew Gryffindors also liked to judge people around.” Claude said as he referred to the Gryffindors that felt a bit of resentment towards Edelgard. “Maybe if you were in Slytherin things wouldn’t be this bad, eh? Well don’t mind them most people are all bark and no bite.”

Edelgard couldn’t refute his argument. If she was in Slytherin things would certainly be different, the Sorting Hat said so that if she wasn’t in Slytherin the road would be arduous. She thought that she’d be prepared for such a thing but she must have been mistaken. Sometimes words cut even deeper than swords. When Catherine had returned Claude had left her side and Edelgard kept to herself as she watched from the back. She couldn’t find it in herself to concentrate as the words she had heard from her classmates constantly replayed in her head. 

As soon as the bell had rung, Edelgard quickly left the room without telling Dimitri or his friends. In fact, she proceeded not to attend any of her classes for the day as she rushed towards one of her main hideouts; a classroom that was currently being renovated within the third floor. Manuela had reminded them about how certain sections of the third floor would be inaccessible throughout the whole year but clearly that had given Edelgard the idea of finding a spot for herself within the closed off section. Not even Hubert knew of this particular hiding place so she didn’t have to worry about anyone ever finding her here. Edelgard settled herself in the corner of the room and hugged her knees as she softly cried to herself.

“I didn’t mean to…” She didn’t mean to hurt Ferdinand, it was really just an accident. Things like that often happened in Defence against the Dark Arts as Byleth had told her but she couldn’t help but feel that her classmates were right. Claude’s words repeated in her head and now she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had made a mistake in choosing to be in Gryffindor rather than in Slytherin.

Because she knew with all her heart that if she was in Slytherin things wouldn’t be as bad as it was. Dimitri and Hubert would have been with her along with her cousin. In fact, she was sure that those from the Slytherin House would have welcomed her with open arms compared to the wary glares she often received in Gryffindor. Still, she chose this path. She chose to be in Gryffindor and maybe that was why it hurts just a bit more. Because this was a path that she had chosen and she didn’t want it to be a mistake.

* * *

It was almost curfew and Byleth was within Gryffindor’s common room biding her time before it was her turn to patrol the corridors for students that broke curfew. She sat on one of the armchairs nearer to the fireplace. The nights were certainly cold in Gryffindor Tower and she was absolutely thankful that they had an actual fireplace to keep themselves warm. She was currently doing some of their homework when someone entered their periphery. Byleth looked up from her notebook and saw a girl with blonde hair, it was unusual to see her without the signature braid she wore during daytime.

“What’s the matter Ingrid?” Byleth asked, the girl looked as if she wanted to say something. Ingrid nervously looked around, checking if there was anyone that could possibly hear their conversation. There weren’t many people left in the common room seeing as how late it was in the evening already. Ingrid stopped fidgeting and mustered the courage to ask Byleth for help regarding Edelgard. Truth be told, Ingrid felt guilty that she didn’t speak up for Edelgard against their other classmates. She knew that Edelgard did nothing wrong and it had all been an accident but she had been scared of what others might have thought of her if she approached Edelgard.

“It’s about Edelgard…” It was clear that Ingrid was nervous and Byleth would be lying if she told herself that she wasn’t the least bit concerned about it. Byleth took something out of her pocket, a packet of chocolate and gave it to Ingrid.

“Here, before you continue go and have a bite. Chocolate helps with the nerves.” Byleth smiled at the troubled girl. Ingrid was a bit caught off guard with the offer but she could never refuse free food. Ingrid took the chocolate without any hint of hesitation and proceeded to eat it. Byleth was right though, that did help her nerves quite a bit. As soon as she seemed to be a bit relaxed that’s when Byleth urged her to continue.

“Did something happen to Edelgard?”

“Y-yes… I’m afraid so. Earlier in our Defence against The Dark Arts class, Professor Catherine gave us a practical exam. The goal was to execute as many spells that she taught to us as we can and to try and knock down or disarm our partner.” Ingrid recounted. 

“I assume something happened during the exam?” Byleth asked. It was certainly Catherine’s style to pit students against each other for a more hands-on approach to defending against the Dark Arts and it wasn’t uncommon for students to get hurt in the process. While it was an effective approach many criticized Catherine for it, though it was said that she had the backing of the Ministry for such an approach.

“Yes, something did happen.” Ingrid could vividly remember the exact sequence of events. “Edelgard was partnered with Ferdinand, a fellow Gryffindor. When it was their turn their spells intercepted each other but Edelgard won out in the end. Ferdinand got thrown back by the backlash and he landed on his hand and sprained his wrist.”

Byleth tilted her head in confusion. Was that all that had happened? It seemed like a normal incident one that many would expect given the nature of the class. Did Edelgard felt bad about what had happened to Ferdinand?

“Edelgard felt bad about it but what’s even worse was that some of our classmates decided to…” ‘_ Making fun of Edelgard _’ wasn’t exactly the right term to describe it. Ingrid knew that it was more than that. They weren’t making fun of her, they were all very expressive of their dislike and distrust of the girl. So much so that they accused her of blatantly hurting Ferdinand. “...accuse her of intentionally hurting Ferdinand among other things. Edelgard left the room once class ended but I haven’t seen her since.”

And that was why she was here in front of Byleth. She wanted to ask help in finding Edelgard. Ingrid tried finding her around the areas she was familiar with but she couldn’t find a trace of her. Dimitri and the others tried too as well but it yielded nothing. Byleth felt a lump in her throat she hadn’t realized that Edelgard wasn’t in the Great Hall during dinner. So that was why Ingrid had approached her, they needed help in finding Edelgard. They couldn’t possibly leave now since curfew was upon them but she was the Head Girl, it was her job to patrol the corridors for wandering students.

“Leave it to me.” Byleth stood from her seat and whistled for Sothis to keep Ingrid company while she sets out to find a missing first year. “Sothis can keep you company if you’re planning to stay here and wait for Edelgard. I’ll go find her.”

Ingrid meekly nodded as Sothis perched itself on her head. The eagle-owl flapped its wings in protest, it truly wanted to help Byleth find Edelgard but perhaps just this once she could babysit another Gryffindor. Byleth gave Ingrid another pack of chocolate before she exited the common room. Honestly, Byleth had no idea where to start but if Edelgard wanted to be alone then the best place to hide in would be a place where many thought to be inaccessible.

Byleth made her way down to the third floor corridor. If she remembered correctly Manuela had announced that the classrooms used for Charms class needed to be mended among other things in the third floor due to a mishap. 

“Lumos.” Byleth whispered under her breath. Almost instantaneously the tip of her wand was illuminated letting her see clearer amidst the darkness of the corridors. Since the third floor corridor was supposedly inaccessible there was almost little to no lighting. She could only hope that Edelgard had stayed put wherever she was, it would be dangerous if she walked around the corridors without knowing this particular spell. Byleth headed towards the Charms Corridor and searched every classroom within the vicinity until she finally saw a mop of white hair within one.

Edelgard was by the corner, hugging her knees while she hid her face. Her tears had already dried and she swore that she was supposed to return to the common room but when she saw how dark the corridors were she quickly returned to her hiding spot and curled up. Edelgard wasn’t fond of the dark; her mother kept her locked inside a dark cell among other things for a whole day once she had disobeyed her and ever since then she greatly disliked navigating dark places. Also, among all of the spells that Catherine had taught them _ Lumos _ or the wand-lighting charm was something that she had trouble with. She didn’t want to take the risk of the light from her wand dying out and panicking right after so she decided to just spend the night within the abandoned classroom.

But who would have thought that someone would come looking for her? Certainly not Edelgard herself. Edelgard noticed the light that came from Byleth’s wand and yelped thinking it was a ghost. Byleth upon hearing that immediately extinguished the light from her wand, now the only thing that illuminated this room would be the moonlight from outside. Byleth gave Edelgard an apologetic smile before she sat right next to her. 

“That yelp was certainly cute.” Byleth chuckled as she slightly turned her head to look at Edelgard. “I’m not that scary am I?”

No, far from it. If Edelgard had recognized that it was Byleth she wouldn’t have yelped. Now she just felt so embarrassed from even letting Byleth hear that in the first place. Edelgard buried her face behind her knees and shook her head in response to the question.

“I’m glad. I don’t think I’d want you to be scared of me.” Byleth leaned back against the wall and sat there in complete silence along with Edelgard. Her brother was the expert when it comes to comforting people not her. She wasn’t exactly a social butterfly and usually kept to herself. But ever since she became a prefect during her fifth year, she found out that she held a certain fondness towards the lower years. Byleth took out another packet of chocolate and handed it over to Edelgard.

“Here, I’m sure you’re hungry. I’m sorry I couldn’t sneak off some food from the Great Hall during dinner but chocolate is better than nothing.” It wasn’t the healthiest option but it would have to do.

Edelgard raised her head a bit and looked at the packet of chocolate being offered to her. On one hand she was indeed hungry on the other she was still embarrassed with what had happened earlier that she couldn’t exactly look straight at Byleth let alone reach out to grab the chocolate away from her. Ah, but she definitely couldn’t ignore the sound of protest that came from her stomach. Edelgard shyly took the chocolate and turned away from Byleth in order to eat it. Byleth was amused by that, Edelgard really was a shy girl.

“Thank you…” Edelgard softly said as she continued to eat the chocolate to Byleth’s relief.

“I have plenty more sweets for you when we return to the common room, how does that sound?” Byleth asked.

“That sounds like a bribe.” Edelgard smiled though Byleth couldn’t see it given that the girl had turned her back on her.

“Maybe it is, maybe it is.” It certainly was a bribe. If it would convince Edelgard to come back with her to the common room then it was something she’d be willing to try. She didn’t ask Edelgard regarding the details of what had happened during their class, she’d rather wait for Edelgard to open up to her. In the meantime, she'd stay by her side and keep her company. The night was still somewhat young and Byleth was used to staying up late anyway.

Both of them sat beside each other in total silence. Edelgard wasn’t sure what time it already was but she knew Byleth was a prefect, shouldn’t she be scolding her for staying out too late? It was way beyond curfew and Edelgard knew she deserved it but Byleth never did that. In fact, she just stayed right beside her without uttering a single word, for most that would have felt disconcerting but for her the silence provided by Byleth was strangely comforting.

“I messed up in class today…” Edelgard stated. She told Byleth earlier that she didn’t want to mess up in class and the opposite had happened. She still felt guilty about Ferdinand’s injury but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“I don’t think you messed up. It was part of the class, your spells intercepted each other. You never knew that the backlash would sent Ferdinand flying right?”

“I didn’t but… I could have used a shield charm…” Edelgard knew that she could have used it instead but her instincts told her to cast an easier spell, at least for her and so she casted the same one that Ferdinand had used and what a mistake that had been. “He was hurt because of me…”

“You could have used one, but we always have the tendency to follow our instincts when it comes to a tense situation. You’re still a beginner and most of the time the spells we cast are based on what our gut is telling us to do rather than our head. You know, when I was still a first year my brother and I paired up during class. I actually sent him to the infirmary afterwards. I casted a knockback jinx and aimed it towards his head since he tried to do the same to me early on during the duel.” Byleth remembered how mad Jeralt was about it while Catherine found it oddly amusing that she knocked out her own brother. “I thought my brother could have protected himself but he didn’t and I really got into trouble for that.”

“I know what it’s like… I felt guilty about it too. I still feel sorry about it even until now. It’s understandable if the guilt doesn’t fade away but you shouldn’t let it take control of your life. It might be hard to understand right now but someday you’ll see what I mean.” Byleth stood up and stretched her arms for a bit since she felt oddly stiff. “But going back. Do you think I’m a bad person then? After hearing that?”

Edelgard shook her head in reply. Of course not, Byleth felt guilty and from how she sounded it felt as if she never wanted it to happen towards her brother. While it wasn’t an outright accident like what had happened during her duel with Ferdinand, the situation itself was similar.

“The same goes for you. I don’t think you’re a bad person just because of that one incident. That doesn’t define who you are.”

“The others seem to think otherwise…” Edelgard remembered everything they said and Claude’s words rang inside her mind again, that her life would have been better if she had just chosen Slytherin. 

“...do you think it was a mistake for the Sorting Hat to listen to me?” Edelgard whispered. That was all she thought about while she was hiding. Was it a mistake for her to be in Gryffindor? “...that maybe I should have been in Slytherin.”

Byleth looked at Edelgard and crouched down in order to pat her in the head. Was it a mistake for Edelgard to be in Gryffindor? For some? Perhaps it is. But for Byleth? No, not in the slightest. If you ask her Edelgard belonged in Gryffindor.

“No. I think you’re right where you belong.” Byleth stated with conviction. 

“Gryffindors are brave and you know what? I think you’re the bravest person I’ve met. It takes courage to ask the Sorting Hat to put you in another house you qualify in. It takes courage to wake up every morning and continue on despite knowing everyone has a prejudice against you. It takes courage to do all the things you’ve done for the past two months. Tell me, have you given up yet in proving to yourself that you belong in Gryffindor?”

Had she given up? Edelgard wasn’t sure but somehow Byleth’s words gave her the strength to finally look up and meet her eyes. She had never seen eyes that reflected so much kindness like Byleth.

“I… I really want to prove that I belong in Gryffindor.” That she wasn’t who they all thought her to be. She truly wanted to do that but it was just really hard for her to do so. “I just don’t know how.”

“It’s fine not to know. Edelgard, you have seven years to prove to yourself that you belong in Gryffindor. There’s no need to rush.” There really was no need for Edelgard to rush. She had taken the first step and entered Gryffindor. The rest? It would take time for things to turn around but Byleth believed that Edelgard could do it. After all, she couldn’t imagine Edelgard being in any other house besides Gryffindor. Even if her whole family line was made up of Slytherins one’s lineage shouldn’t define where they’ll end up in.

“I believe in you.” Byleth repeated before she stood up and offered her hand towards Edelgard. The young Gryffindor looked up at the hand that was extended to her with surprise and bewilderment. 

Was it alright for her to take it and believe in Byleth’s words? Was it alright for her to accept it?

“Let’s go home, back to the common room. I’m sure Ingrid must be at her wits end waiting for you so make sure that you’ll apologize when we come back. Alright?”

Edelgard didn’t know but without a second thought she reached for Byleth’s hand. She couldn’t explain it but she wanted to believe Byleth, she wanted to believe in her words. Maybe someday, she could fully believe in them but for now maybe taking this step was enough. 

“Alright, let’s go home then.”

Maybe reaching for her hand would be enough for today. Maybe someday she’d believe her words that crimson and red suited her far more than silver and green.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all can yell at me on [twitter!!](https://twitter.com/seibaaanobu) as usual.


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